Category: Permanent Birth Control

I am terribly sorry that the comment may seem unsympathetic, but it was taken out of context during the edit of the interview which took well over half hour. The editors took out majority of the scientific and informative discussions and only chose a phrase presented out of context to portray a sense of lack of empathy within the medical community. I assure all of you that I take every concern my patients may have to heart and take them seriously. I believe that women have an uncanny ability to suspect problems in their bodies and over the years have come to trust that intuition. Having said that, my heart goes out to those who have experienced any wrong doing. I can only speak of my experience with my own patients and those of my colleagues with whom I have a close professional relationship. Essure in my experience has been one of the safest procedures and our patients are happy with the outcome. That is not to say that it is risk free. Everything we do in medicine carries a baseline risk. But we only recommend it if the benefits out way the risks. With regard to any complications, each case has to be evaluated individually. Placement of these devices, the way the procedure is performed, and choosing the right candidates, and proper follow ups play a significant role in the out come of this or any medical procedure. We cannot make a blank statement that it must be the device causing every problem in the book. “You have to take things with a grain of salt.” If someone is suffering from an ensuing infection after the procedure, it most probably is due to failure in following established aseptic techniques during the operation. This is a common concern with any procedure. The alloy used in making this device has been used in medicine for years. You find them in heart valve replacements and have been used in heart catheters around the world. It was not invented for this device. If a patient has an allergic reaction to the implants, it is not the device that we should pull off the market, it is the physician’s clinical judgment that we have to question.

The modern world is certainly different from what women had to deal with years ago. Thanks to advances in science and technology, women have a variety of birth control options. These days, you can find choices that guarantee against pregnancy with ratings up to 99.9% if you make use of them properly. You can choose from birth control options that will best suit your lifestyle, but be sure to discuss your top choices with your doctor in order to pick the right one. Here are common choices for birth control that you could consider:

Barrier Methods of Birth Control

Barrier methods include those that block the sperm from ever reaching the egg. They include the following:

Contraceptive sponge along with a spermicide

Diaphragm

Cervical cap

Female condom

Male condom

These types of birth control methods are considered to have the higher chance of failure when compared to other methods. For example, the male condom is about 97% effective. That does not mean they are not viable means of birth control. They just do not get the complete assurance you could find in other choices.

Hormone Based Birth Control

These types of birth control are, by far, the most common. The most important thing about the hormone based methods is that they must be used as directed to be dependable. They include the following:

The pill

The contraceptive patch

Shots or injections

Vaginal ring

When used properly, these methods are about 99% effective. The common failure of the methods comes from human error.

Implant Methods of Birth Control

For those women who wish to have dependable birth control without having to remember to take a pill every day, there are implantable devices. They include:

Implantable rods

IUDs (intrauterine devices)

These two options are long-term methods of birth control. They last up to 10 years. They, especially the rods, should not be used if you think you may wish to have children in the near future.

Permanent Solutions

If you know that you do not want children in the future, then you may want to consider surgical solutions. These methods completely take away the chance of fertilization, so they are the most dependable. However, since they are permanent, you should consider them carefully before making the decision to use them. They include:

Female implant sterilization

Vasectomy for men

Tying or cutting the fallopian tubes in a woman

Emergency Contraception

Called the “Plan B” pill, this emergency contraception can be used the morning after unprotected sex. It has to be taken within 72 hours in order to be effective. This method is not made to be used as a regular birth control but instead as an emergency method in the cases of forgotten birth control, birth control failure, or rape.

As you can see, you have plenty of different birth control options. That means, you can choose one that will best suit your lifestyle. Be sure to discuss the birth control option you would prefer with your doctor so that it can be determined if it is the best choice based on your health and wellbeing.

For some women, permanent birth control is the best option to guarantee that they will not have any more children. However as the name explains, permanent birth control is, well, permanent. In very few cases are these procedures reversible. Before you make the decision to go with a permanent option, you will want to ask your doctor all of the right questions. Be sure you know everything you need to about the procedure before you make a decision. Below are a few questions that you should ask your doctor before you make your decision.

General Questions

What are my options for permanent birth control?

Is a permanent option the right one for me?

Are there other options that I should consider before I make the decision?

What type of birth control, permanent or non-permanent, would you recommend?

Ask these questions in the beginning. They will give you a good starting place to determining if permanent birth control is the right choice for you.

Tubal Ligation and Implant Birth Control

Tubal ligation is a common procedure in which the fallopian tubes are tied so that the eggs cannot travel to the uterus. Permanent implant birth control includes placing specialty material in the fallopian tubes so that scar tissue will form and completely block the tubes.

Should I consider tubal ligation or permanent implant birth control?

What are the risks to each of these surgical procedures?

Are both of the procedures always successful? If not, what is the failure rate?

How do you go about each of the procedures?

What type of recovery can I expect from the procedures?

What are the benefits to choosing one of these procedures?

Would you recommend one of these to me as my own permanent birth control method?

Emotional Factors

The most important thing to remember is that permanent birth control methods should only be chosen if you absolutely know that you never want to have children. There are emotional factors to consider. How will you handle it if you change your mind at a later date and wish to have children? Consider all of the ramifications of the birth control that you are choosing before you go through with any procedure. Permanent birth control could be the right option for you since it completely cuts out your chances of becoming pregnant at a later date. Make sure to ask all of the questions above when you talk to your doctor to help you make the right choice.

Essure is a permanent birth control option that works with your body to create a natural barrier to prevent pregnancy. The 10 minute procedure is surgery and hormone free to create a natural birth control method.

During the procedure, an Essure-certified doctor slides the small, soft inserts through the natural pathways of your vagina and cervix into your fallopian tubes. The very tip of each insert remains visible to your doctor, providing immediate confirmation of proper placement. The flexible Essure inserts are made out of the same trusted, silicone-free material used in heart stents, so they bend and conform to the shape of your fallopian tubes while remaining securely in place.

Essure is covered by most insurance providers and if the Essure procedure is performed in a doctor’s office, payment may be as low as your co-pay, depending on your insurance plan.